Police justified in using taser to stop man with knife at Cookstown home

A taser gun

Published:15:00Tuesday 17 January 2017

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The use of a taser to subdue a man who was about to stab himself at a Cookstown home, was justified said the Police Ombudsman.

Considered alongside cases in Derry, Lisburn and North Down, Dr Michael Maguire found that in each case the weapon had been used appropriately to prevent people causing harm to either themselves or others.

The incident in Cookstown took place in October 2014, when police used the weapon against a man whose family had locked themselves in the living room of their home for their own safety. Officers reported that it was used when he appeared to be about to stab himself.

The incidents in Lisburn and North Down also involved men armed with knives who were a danger to themselves or others, while in Derry a taser was used against a man who reacted violently to police trying to arrest him.

Dr Maguire found on Tuesday (January 17) that in each instance, taser had been lawful, justified and proportionate given the volatile and unpredictable situations officers had faced.